Pulse
by Hexality
Summary: What would you do, when faced with the threat of death? Would you run, as swift as your feet could take you? Or would you accept it? Seven long  days, seven gruesome tests - Will Bella survive it?..
1. James and the Giant Vampire

The dark of the night engulfed his senses as the boy stalked through the stinking alleys of the city. Soft, thudding footfalls alerted him to the impeding approach of the girl. Swiftly, he arranged himself on the very edge of the rusted fire escape he had been perched on for the past twenty minutes. As silently as he could manage, he unzipped his backpack and withdrew his tools. Specifically; the stained rag and small bottle that resided in the back pocket. Agonizingly slow, he turned the cap of the small bottle, desperate to not alert the girl of his presence. Her mother had insisted that she not be made aware of the situation – he was to subdue her, and take her to the van that would be waiting for them. From there, the girl was the property of whoever bid the highest. After he had soaked the worn material with the liquid, he placed the bottle next to his pack, and readied himself.

When the footsteps at last reached his location, he dropped into the alley below, slightly jarring his feet on the unforgiving cement. A chill stole into his bones, part nerves, combined with a dash of excitement. The butterflies raged against the adrenaline, creating a swell of emotion in his stomach, threatening to spill up and over onto the pavement.

But no, he had not resorted to that in years.

After swallowing the saliva that had subsequently pooled under his tongue, he stepped forward into the dim illumination cast by the lone street lamp. His appearance was met with a gasp, followed by a sigh of relief.

"James? You scared me. I was kind of worried I was in trouble, for a moment there."  
><em>Oh, little girl. You have no idea what kind of trouble you've walked yourself into.<em>  
>She placed her hand over her breast, no doubt to feel the thundering beat that had been caused by his scuffling around in the darkness of the alley.<br>He smiled.  
>"You're happy tonight. What's that in your hand, James?" One more stride brought him face to face with the girl, their noses only inches apart. He smiled at the girl. She was in his Spanish class at school, and evidently thought that he was just another harmless teenager. Oh, how wrong he would prove her to be. His hand darted to her face, cupping the soaked rag to her nose and mouth. She breathed in deeply in surprise, not even fighting his grasp. It did not take long, soon her eyes were glazed and she was holding onto him for dear life.<p>

He allowed himself a slight chuckle, before slinging the now limp form of the girl over his shoulder. Easily, he marched into the shadows of the alley, to the rear where his transport was waiting, and also the mother of the girl. The door of the van slid open abruptly, and a hulking man with brown curls beckoned him closer. The boy offered up the girl, and she was taken from his arms easily by the colossal person. His arms were almost the size of James himself, and if he was being honest...That frightened him. The man smiled at him, and gestured behind him with a flick of his head. The boy climbed up into the vehicle, and nodded at the girl's mother who sat, shaking, her arms drawn up around her knees.

"A- Are you sure this is legal?"  
>The man responded with a chuckle, and set the girl onto the greasy carpet. After slamming the door shut, he tapped loudly on the wire cage separating them from the invisible driver, who instantly began driving at a dangerous speed.<p>

"Of course it is, ma'am. It will be as if she was never born – nobody will ever know".  
>She blinked rapidly, obviously becoming stressed at the concept of someone discovering what she had done.<br>"What if she gets away? Wouldn't she tell someone?"  
>With a distinctly repulsed expression, he placed an enormous hand on her shoulder.<br>"She won't remember a thing".

The woman's only answer was to dig her nails deep into the creases of her elbows. James noticed the track marks, and looked away in disgust. She turned to him and cleared her throat.  
>"I'll pay you once they do, okay?"<br>He simply inclined his head in her direction, and watched the girl strewn haphazardly across the floor of the van. She really _was _pretty, he decided. It was a shame that her mother evidently had a habit that she could not afford. James would take pleasure in revealing the woman's secrets to the police the next day, and also in describing the people who were responsible. The girl hadn't done anything to deserve what her mother was doing, and James would be doing the city a great service.

A harsh ringing erupted from the pocket of the giant's pants, and he quickly answered his cell.  
>"Yes?"<br>James couldn't hear anything on the other end, but the man's eyes narrowed and the hand that wasn't holding the phone clenched into a fist.  
>"I'll deal with it," he said before terminating the call. First, he returned to the woman.<br>"You tell nobody of what happened tonight. You take your money, and you go".  
>Tremors shook her body, and a single tear ran over her cheek. The man sighed heavily, and slammed his hand on the metal divider. The van came to an abrupt stop, throwing James off his seat and onto the filthy carpet beside the girl. He stared at her closed eyes, and an unknown emotion twisted through his chest.<br>_Guilt._  
>The door was thrown open, revealing the tall shape of a man, his features thrown into darkness by the full moon that shone from behind him.<p>

"Come here, woman".  
>She obeyed instantly, all traces of fear obliterated. When she reached him, the man grabbed her small hand in his.<br>"Your daughter has gone to live with her father in Washington. She will not be back. You do not have to call her, she does not want you to. You got this money from a friend, it was a gift," He pressed a large duffle bag into her hands, "You will use this to move _far _away from Phoenix."  
>She was nodding along with his words, clutching the bag to her chest.<br>"Be gone".  
>She obeyed, scrambling out of the van into the night.<p>

James shuddered as the man turned to him. Even though he could not see his eyes, he knew that they were centred on him alone.  
>"Bo-"<br>The muscled man stepped into his line of sight, interrupting what the shadowy figure had been about to say. James expected an audible conversation, but they conversed in hisses that he could not decipher. A strong sense of trepidation made itself present, and he closed his fingers tightly around the penknife in his pocket. If it came to a fight, James had no doubts that they would win. However, he was prepared to go down swinging. The large man with the monstrous arms interrupted the other with a growl, and this was answered with the unknown stranger slamming the door. He was now alone with the unconscious girl and the large, muscled one. He smiled at James, but his teeth promised anything but reassurance.

"You've been a naughty boy, Jimmy".  
>Terror whispered to his limbs, and they struck out of their own accord, slashing at the man with the blade that he had flicked out the instant the door shut. The clumsy attack was dodged easily, and he shot forward to shove James up against the metal side of the van, throwing his head back with the force. It bounced off the steel with a sickening thud, and he saw stars. The man held him with an iron grip, one arm up against his neck, strangling him and keeping him pinned.<br>"Going to tell the authority, were you?"  
>He punctuated the question by pulling James forward by the shirt, and then cracking him back into his previous position - being suffocated by one of his meaty arms. He couldn't get a deep enough breath to respond to the man, and this only seemed to make him smile.<br>"I have no time for your excuses. I was going to have this lovely girl for dinner, but Jasper quickly shut down that idea. I'll just have to make do with _you_".

The man bared his teeth, and his head blurred forward. Razors sunk into the flesh of his throat, and a liquid gurgled up into his mouth. He was drowning in his own blood. It was done quickly, the man removed his teeth from his neck as a haze threatened the edges of James' vision. No longer supported, he slumped heavily to the carpet. The body of the girl stirred, and James stopped feeling the heat of pain. He slid down until he was lying beside her. He could feel the blood oozing from his wound onto the floor.  
>That was when it hit him.<br>_You're going to die here. On the cold, unforgiving floor of a van.  
><em>Denial.  
><em>No, it's a dream. Monsters aren't real.<em>  
>Acceptance.<br>_Yes, they are. _  
>As his eyes drifted shut, he braved one last glance at the girl. Her lids were fluttering open, and she relaxed the moment she spotted him. Blissfully unaware for a split second, she took in a breath to talk – no doubt question James on their location. Then, it hit <em>her<em>. Her gaze shot to the gruesome slash in his throat, and she started screaming. James smiled weakly, and closed his eyes.  
><em>She'll be fine.<em>


	2. Drip

**Disclaimer: This can go for the entire story. I do not own Twilight, it belongs to the ever-so-talented Stephenie Meyer. I simply do this for the entertainment.**

**Warning: _This has an M rating_. All jokes aside, if you shouldn't be reading this - don't. It is going to be gory, so if you don't like that, this probably isn't the story for you. I _will _however put a warning on any chapter that is especially gross.**

**In any case, I hope you enjoy the story.**

_Drip, drip, drip._

"Hello?"  
>My voice echoed back at me, bouncing off the cement walls and filling the tiny space with its melody. The dripping was constant, falling from its unknown source with a predictability that was almost its own small form of torture. Combined with the thick, leather straps that tethered me to the hard floor, it was more than easy to see that I was doomed beyond belief.<br>Three days. _Three freaking days_, that were spent handcuffed to the _ground_ in a freezing, spatially challenged room.  
>Now, I've always thought of myself as a family orientated girl… But, given the chance, I would happily take a baseball bat to my mother's skull. After all, it <em>was<em> her that brought me to this place, and not even in a dignified 'Bella, this needs to happen for the good of my drug habit' manner... No. She took her ideas from some parody of a horror story, and got me _chloroformed _by some random kid in my Spanish class. Who, coincidentally, I got to watch bleed out onto the greasy floor of a van that smelled strongly of cabbages. I was strangely unaffected by these events, but that could always be put down to a simple case of shock.

Despite my threats to her wellbeing, I could understand her motivations, however selfish they were. Renee had a serious problem, and I was a means to an end. A very expensive end, I might add. Which would account for her having fucking _sold_ me, for drug money, to God only knows where. So, returning to the matter at hand…  
>I had awoken, three days ago, to the most miniscule, lightless, <em>boring<em> room of my short seventeen years. Not one single person had come to see me, feed me, water me, or even _threaten _me. Christ, I was willing to fend off a rabid squirrel at this state, if only for the meat that the little guy could offer me. At the thought of food, my stomach roared, much like an angry lion when its cub had been captured by… Hyenas. My gut was the angry Mufasa to the lack of food's Simba.

I was promptly cut off from my inner ramblings by a _real _roar. A serious, god to honest, roar. I quickly dismissed the initial half-baked theory that there was an animal on the loose, and came to the conclusion that only a human could be responsible for the sound that now shook the walls of my prison. Impossibly, the tremors rattled the door, and it unlatched with a soft click, which left me with an uninterrupted view into the hall.  
>The grime coated, gray tiled wall was lit by an eerie glow that filtered through the darkness to result in a blotchy image. It may have been a simple surface, but it was the best thing in my life at the current moment. I would marry that wall. Fuck, if I ever got out of these restraints I would <em>lick<em> the wall. Well, on second thoughts, after having observed a multitude of questionable stains… I would give it a heartfelt hug. While I spent time choosing a relatively harmless part of the wall on which to bestow my gratitude, I became increasingly aware that I was perhaps not, as I had originally assumed, alone in this situation.  
>Subsequent to the bone-shattering clamor, a chorus of wails had risen up, and they drifted through my newly opened door to reach me where I was trapped. I would have joined in on the pity party, were it not for my dehydrated throat threatening to self-destruct itself if I even tried.<br>A pitiful squeak managed to fight its way out of my lips, which was quickly countered by my throat shooting itself in the fucking eye… Not literally, of course.

_Shit, that hurt.  
><em>  
>Another roar jolted the room, and the cries transformed into screams, a horrible caterwauling that pierced its way into my very skull and sent my thoughts tumbling. The shrieks grew closer, and footsteps sounded on the cement – they were approaching at a sprint. I struggled uselessly against the leather, trying to rip it from its chains. A blur went past the door of my room, nearly invisible against the muck that coated the opposite wall. A howl louder than the others rang out, before subsiding into a low gurgle. Now, I was <em>really <em>panicking. Another blur shot past my door, and I doubled my efforts to escape the bonds. I _refused_ to have spent three days starving to death, only to have it end in bloodshed – If I was going to die, it would be a result of my stomach eating itself, not whatever the fuck was going on out there.  
>Low, heavy steps echoed in the hall outside, slowing as they reached my door. I instantly froze, taking only tiny breaths through my mouth, willing them to continue their journey onward, and away from where I lay shackled to the floor. The person halted, and only then did I become aware that all but one of the crying people had stopped. A small whimper interrupted their quiet keening, and then... nothing. The silence was interrupted only by the ever present dripping of the tap.<p>

_Drip, drip, drip._

As quiet as I attempted to make my breathing, I could still hear myself. It was so impossibly cold in the room that clouds of delicate breath hung in the air for a few seconds, before fading into the darkness. The only light was that being filtered through the door, and it barely lit even the tiny space that I was trapped in. I was confident in my ability to stay utterly silent, but a tingling sensation on my left hand quickly obliterated that thought.  
>A <em>spider.<em> A fucking _spider _was leisurely making its way up my arm, tickling the hairs and threatening to make a sob fight its way out of my lips. I valiantly battled against the urge, until it reached my elbow, and stopped dead.

_Holy shit, it's going to bite me. I'm going to die. What if it's poisonous?  
><em>  
>Ultimately deciding that the unknown stranger lurking in the hallway was the lesser of two evils, I let out a tiny whimper and tried to shake the insect off of my arm. My attempts were useless, and it only clung tighter. Putting my unpracticed throat to work, I croaked out an almost inaudible plea.<br>"Help... Please".

The steps resumed, and a figure appeared in the door, backlit by the strangle glow so that I could not see their face. Judging by the dark chuckle, I concluded that it was a he.  
>A loud click sounded, and my room was suddenly illuminated by a distinctly weak-looking bulb hanging from the roof by a chain. The spider scuttled off my arm. The sudden light, after three days of darkness, tore into my retinas. I yelped, turning my head as far to the side as I could to avoid the impossible brightness. After five minutes of gradually turning back to face the light, I managed to open my eyes into a squint. A further minute passed before I could open them fully, and inspect my little prison.<br>If I had thought that the stains in the hall _outside_ the room were questionable, then they had _nothing_ on the marks spread all over these babies. Deep claw marks ravaged the complete room, and rusted brown spatters adorned the floor and walls. I _knew _what those splashes were, and so I tried to find something else to focus on.  
>That, unfortunately, turned out to be my savior. A hulking bear of a man, he stood as tall as possibly two of me. His muscles bulged grotesquely, and they contrasted with the gleeful, almost childlike smile that graced his face.<br>_And what a pretty face it is._  
>It most certainly was. Gorgeous, dark curls sat atop his head, and the teeth lighting his smile were pearly white, as was his luminescent skin. The only inconsistency in the image was his eyes. The color seemed to be dark – almost black – but that was not the issue. No, it was the <em>cold<em> way that he surveyed me, like I was nothing but a rabbit in a cage.  
>In a way, I suppose I was. Shackled to the ground like such, I was powerless against any form of attack. He spoke in a deep, booming voice that grated against my sensitive ears.<br>"You're Bella".  
>No matter how loud, his voice possessed a musical quality that entranced me, and I found myself quickly returning an answer in my deathly croak.<br>"How do you know my name?"  
>His smile grew wider, and I stretched my cracked lips in what was surely a sick impersonation of a grin. His teeth were <em>really <em>white, and they glistened with an odd quality.  
>"We've been waiting for you."<br>I pasted a confused look on my face, and he replied by widening his lips. Only now, it was starting to look less like a smile, and more like a threatening baring of teeth. Those teeth… It was impossible, but they looked razor-sharp.  
>I couldn't force my ravaged throat to muster another word, and he recognized this with a slight inclination of his head. A curl escaped from the pile, and dangled innocently over his right eyebrow. The man didn't look so cherubic anymore, instead, he was taking on the appearance of a shark masquerading as a kitten – harmless and cute, until it took off half your arm in one bite. He could attack at any moment. I watched him intently, and his gaze turned serious.<br>"One moment. I'll be right back".

He left the room, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Allowing that much air into my throat stung, but it was necessary. A quick evaluation of the straps assured me that I was still very much trapped in this room, and at the mercy of whatever the man had on his mind. I should be terrified of him, that was certain. How could I not be? Whenever he flexed his arms, it looked like three small children were wrestling underneath his shirt, and the distance in his eyes seemed more animal than human.

His return to the room was again preceded by his heavy steps, but this time he gripped a large steel bucket in his right hand. He shut the door behind him, and dropped the bucket onto the floor with a resounding metallic clang. He walked over to where I was strapped to the ground and lowered himself to my side. He released me from the tethers with deft fingertips, getting both of my feet and wrists free within thirty seconds. I sat up straight, cracking my spine and neck, and stretching out my arms.  
>I felt fine for a moment or so, and was preparing to interrogate him for answers, before a crippling pain swept through my entire body, and I returned to the cement. I let forth a small whine, and curled into a tiny ball.<br>The hulk-man laughed. He fucking _laughed _at my pain.

"Easy there, tiger. You've been in the same spot for seventy two hours now, let your circulation figure itself out."  
>I lay still, and he returned to his bucket. I was curled up away from him, so I couldn't see what he was removing, but I could <em>smell <em>it.  
>He had <em>food. <em>Oh, I would _kill_ someone for just a bite. Once my limbs were all functional again, I rolled myself over to see what he had retrieved from the mysterious bucket, and was greeted by a small pile of sandwiches, and three bottles of water. I looked up to the man, and he shrugged.  
>"I don't know what you people eat. Will this do, Bella?"<br>I briefly considered the chance of the food being poisoned, before deciding that even if it was, I wouldn't really care. I was _that_ hungry. Having established that the food – arsenic coated or not – was fair game, I threw myself upon it.  
>He watched with a mildly repulsed expression as I demolished the haul, only stopping to take long swigs of water. He cleared his throat as I glared at the last sandwich, trying to judge how much room was left in my stomach.<br>"I wouldn't recommend that, kid. It's a surprise you haven't thrown up, yet."  
>I agreed with the strange man, so I flipped over onto my back and smiled.<br>"Thank you for the food. How do you know my name, by the way?"  
>Now that I'd rehydrated myself, my throat was working perfectly again. He tilted his head to the side, and spoke in his deep voice.<br>"Your mother told us, Bella".  
>I turned my head to face him, noting the intense way in which he watched me, as if expecting a different reaction to the one I was currently having.<br>I suppose that I should be furious over what Renee had done, but I was experiencing a strange lack of emotion. To say that I was upset would be a blatant lie, because I just didn't… Care.  
>"Oh, yes. That makes sense. So, what's going to happen to me?"<br>He stared at me in disbelief for a few moments, and then brought a phone out from his pocket. After punching in a number, he held it up to his ear and warned me to stay silent with a finger across his lips.  
>"Jasper. I think you went too far."<br>I had no clue what was being said on the other end, but considering this man's response, I could assume that they were questioning his greeting statement.  
>"Because, it's <em>emotionless,<em>" he hissed.  
>I wondered who Jasper was, and if he was as pretty as the man who was yelling into his phone.<br>"It remembers everything, like I asked you. That's not what the problem is – It doesn't _care_".  
>As he listened to what Jasper was saying, he began to nod.<br>"I suppose it was for the best. No. Yes, it's fine. No, I won't. Okay, give me ten minutes".  
>He ended the call, and dropped his cell into the bucket.<br>"As it would turn out, we don't have as much time as I would like."  
>As much time as he… <em>Oh.<em>  
>Trying to be helpful, I lay back on the ground and smiled up at him.<br>"Bella, what are yo- Oh. No, you idiot. Sit up."  
>The man was horrified, and began to pace the length of the miniscule space, muttering to himself.<br>"I'll have to tell him… There's just something _wrong_… But is it better that way?"  
>Apparently having reached an internal decision, he turned back to me.<br>"I'm not going to hurt you, okay? There's just… Some things that need to be explained and maybe it will be easier, what with you in your current state… So, I'm just going to dive right in. I'm Emmett, by the way."  
>I waved off the hand he offered to help me back up from my position on the ground, and sat myself on the freezing cement.<br>"Nice to meet you, Emmett. I'm Bella, but… You already know that. Now, explain".  
>I nodded along with my words, indicating that he should go ahead. He took a deep breath, and expelled an influx of information.<p>

"Okay, so… Due to your emotionless… Ness, this should be relatively easy to come to terms with. The deal is, straight and simple; your mother sold you, Bella. She handed you over, and in return, we paid her."  
>I gazed at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to continue. If he was expecting some sort of 'Oh, golly-gee' statement, we were going to be here a hell of a lot longer than ten minutes. Realizing this, he went on.<p>

"There's a war coming, Bella. A big one. And the fact of the matter is, our side doesn't have anywhere close to the people that we're going to need. So, the logical decision was to simply recruit more soldiers… But it isn't that easy. If we're going to win, we can't afford dead weights. So, a kind of… System was developed. It isn't good, it's sick – but it works."  
>Emmett paused, allowing me a moment to absorb what he had told me.<br>I delayed, expecting fear, anger – anything. Twenty seconds passed, and no emotion hit me, whatsoever. My robotic disposition would be worrying, if I could feel that, but there were other matters at hand.

"This makes sense, Emmett… But why am I here? Honestly, if you're thinking of drafting me into your army, you've made the wrong choice. Look at me – I'm short, I'm weak, and I have absolutely no chance at being helpful. Why me?"  
>He considered this, watching me with his dead, cold eyes.<br>"I don't know. The boss said we would need you. They don't tell me much, I just collect the humans".  
>The use of 'humans' was confusing, and only increased my questions. I decided to go with the simplest, most pressing question.<br>"What _are_ you?"  
>He wasn't surprised at that, and responded quickly.<br>"Don't worry. Now, I've only got five minutes to warn you about what's coming. You've got a week of torture ahead of you, Bella. It isn't going to be pretty. Due to the mental glitch you're experiencing, some tests will be easier than others, but it could slow you down on some."  
>He reached back to his bucket, and withdrew a straight razor.<br>"You'll need this, especially today. It's almost midnight, and it's Sunday. You have exactly one week from the moment the clock strikes twelve. Seven days, seven tests."  
>Emmett showed me how to flick out the blade, which was wickedly sharp.<br>"Be careful with this. I really hope you make it, Bella. All you have to remember, is to _survive_. One last thing," he said, pulling a bottle out of his pocket. A scarlet liquid sloshed about inside as he gave it to me, and I wrapped my fist around it.  
>"You <em>definitely<em> should not have this. If you get into a bad situation with one of our guys, dip your little razor in it and start cutting. It should do the trick. It would also get me killed, if anyone found out I gave it to you".  
>I tucked the blood and the razor into my own pocket, and looked to Emmett for further instructions.<br>"Good luck, Bella. Remember; _survive_".  
>He raised himself back up to his feet, and picked up the steel bucket. The floor was getting cold, so I curled up into myself.<br>"Emmett, what are you?"  
>He smiled at me, showing me his sparkling teeth once more.<br>"Silly Bella, haven't you figured it out yet?"  
>I shook my head, retreating into an even tighter ball as he took a step towards me. Emmett flashed his teeth, clacking them together.<br>"Oh, you're in for a right _treat_ when you wake up, girlie. I'm a _vampire_, you idiot."  
>With that, he turned away from me. I stared at him blankly, wondering why it was that he wasn't leaving. He laughed as he swung the heavy bucket back and forth, gaining momentum. What he was about to do became clear to me in the same second that he raised the metal high in the air. He dragged it down towards my head, and it connected with my skull in a sickening thud of steel on skin. My vision went instantly black, and the noise of Emmett's laughter was drifting away. Two last words fought their way through the void that was my head.<p>

_Good luck._

**So.. Yes. Reviews are very appreciated. Much love.**


	3. Candy

**Okay, so I've covered the disclaimer and the gore, but I did promise to put up a warning for anything overly violent. Which, lucky you, is this chapter. To me, it didn't seem so bad, but I have no idea what people consider 'gory'. There's detailed description of corpses, multiple deaths, and all that... Stuff. Yeah.**

I awoke with a groan. My head was throbbing, sending bursts of pain lancing through my skull. The conversation with Emmett came rushing back, and I let my head drop onto the surface I was laying on. Expecting the cement of my room, I was more than surprised when my action resulted in a connection of skull and wood.  
><em>… I had been moved.<em>  
>I sat up instantly, scanning my surroundings. I was on a broad deck that stretched across a yard of dark, lush grass. I could see nothing but the murky night, occasionally broken by bright, sweeping lights. Were they searching for me? I put my hand down, preparing to push myself up onto my feet, but instead of wood, I was met with paper. It crinkled underneath my fingers, and I brought it up to my face. It was an envelope, and it had my name written on it in a straight, blocky script. I opened it up, and a blood-red sheet of paper fell into my hands. Ugh, these people were just so fucking <em>dramatic<em>.

_Recruit,  
>Congratulations on making it to Phase One. You have 24 hours in which your sole objection is to survive. Live for the next day, and you will proceed to Phase Two.<br>Nine other subjects will also be participating in this test, and it is them that you are required to compete against. You have ten minutes until midnight, upon which the deck you are sitting upon will reveal a staircase. Down these stairs, waits Phase One.  
>Those ten minutes would be wisely used to locate a weapon, for the subjects you are competing against are your enemies. Put simply, the last man standing at midnight tomorrow will progress. If more than one is left alive, all subjects will be killed.<br>This is a fight to the death, recruit. We sincerely hope that you are the one who will progress.  
>Good luck.<em>

I returned the letter to the envelope, and considered my options.  
>Option one; I could run. Judging by the search lights, this would not be an easy task.<br>Option two; I could fight.  
>I ran my hand over my pocket, feeling the shape of the razor and the small vial. I had a better chance than the other nine people, already. What could they use as a weapon? A sharpened branch? I couldn't even see any <em>trees<em>.  
>Yes, I would stay. I had no desire to die any time in the near future, and if I was lucky, all the other 'subjects' would fight amongst themselves, and I could come in at the end. All I would have to do is plunge the blade into the remaining person's stomach. Usually, I would feel disgust… But now, I possessed nothing but a sick curiosity for what it would be like.<br>Decided, I jumped to my feet and began to stretch my limbs. If I intended to stick to my plan, I would need to run, and possibly also attempt to squeeze myself into a small crevice. I turned to inspect the deck, wondering where the mysterious set of stairs would appear from. There were no telltale crevices, or lines or anything of the like. Just flat, wooden planks. They were pretty, of course. Mahogany and gleaming. Come to think of it, they really had no place out in the middle of _nowhere_. And it _was _nowhere – I couldn't see anything past a few meters, apart from the random glimpses of more grass when the lights would illuminate it. I was tempted to race off into the darkness, and lose myself amongst the stars.

I was even close to doing so, when the boards I was standing on shifted; causing me to tumble to the cold, wet grass behind me. The damp ground began to soak its way through my jeans, and it was _freezing_, so I quickly clambered back up to my feet. The deck split straight down the center, revealing a moss-covered set of stairs that led down to… Nothing. Just inky, black, _nothing_. I wasted some time simply _watching_ the stairs, to see if anyone was going to come out and attack me. My hand had strayed to my pocket and was now holding the straight razor in a deathly tight grip. Nobody had emerged after ten minutes, and this deemed the stairs safe enough to venture down. I took one step down, and then stopped. Faintly, drifting out from the shadows, there were screams. An awful shrieking, much like someone being tortured.  
>Apparently, Emmett had not lied about what would happen during the next week. I gripped my razor tighter, and walked down the stairs. The temperature decreased with every step I took, eventually becoming a paralyzing cold that leeched its way through my skin. I was surrounded by complete darkness, not even able to see the stars behind me anymore.<br>The sound of my sneakers on the stairs was muffled, as if the darkness was absorbing everything it encountered. After five minutes of steadily going deeper into the earth, a weak light became present further down the stairs. I rushed toward it, almost tripping on every step, but just managing to keep going. It turned out to be a small burning torch set into a cobblestone wall. Beside it was a small, harmless, wooden door.  
>Using my stellar detective skills, I deduced that the door was my way of entering the… Testing area. This was confirmed by the words that were painted messily across the surface.<br>_Good luck._  
>It would seem that those words would be the catchphrase of the week – they were the popular choice with everyone so far. As my plan involved waiting for everyone to take care of themselves, I chose my current position as home base. I could wait here until it was absolutely necessary to enter. That way, there would be no chance to make a mistake, or to be impaled by one of the others' makeshift weapons. Decided, I returned the razor to my pocket, and turned to look for a comfortable spot to settle into for the next twenty four hours. Instead of the small room I had originally started in, I now stood in a steadily decreasing space. The passage must have been closing up, now that it had been used.<br>"Oh, _shit. _Really?"  
>The wall continued on its way towards me, ignoring my exclamation. With no other option, I whirled to face the door and wrenched it open. A split second after I threw myself through it, it became completely closed up with impenetrable stone. Which, had I still been in the room at the time, would have crushed me.<br>I retrieved my weapon once more, and observed my new location. It was filthy, reminiscent of the room I had originally woken up in – coated with muck and things I could not identify.

I found myself in a shadowed corridor that went for about five meters or so. The walls were absolutely soaked in filth, and crumbling to pieces. There were three doors on each side, worn and damaged, probably leading into more rooms like mine. At the end of the hall was another door. Scrawled across it, was one word. 'Arena'.  
>I walked toward it slowly, dragging my hand along the dirty wall to my left. The grime came off onto my fingertips, leaving them stained dark. I tried all of the doors along the way, dismayed to find that they had all been locked. I came to the final door, the one claiming that it would take me to this 'arena'. I tried the handle, and <em>of course <em>it would be unlocked, and work easily. I opened the door cautiously, I may have not been frightened, but I was not an imbecile. The screams got louder the instant I opened it even a crack, so I took the opportunity to poke my head around and get a glance at what was happening.  
>The door opened into a large, circular room. Arena was a fitting word. There was no flooring, only dark, torn up earth. The walls were stone, and splashed with what I could only assume was blood. In the center, there was a small group of humans doing their best to obliterate each other. I opened the door a bit wider, so I could get a better view of the skirmish. Counting bodies, I noticed that there were only eight. The letter had said that there would be nine others competing. This meant that one of them was missing. I scanned the arena, hoping that somebody had already killed them, meaning that one contestant was down already. I found nobody, which made me a little sad. Returning my attention to the fight, I made note of the weapons they had.<br>Only five of them had actually managed to acquire something, leaving the other three to attack with their hands. The three who hadn't gotten anything, were, incidentally, women. Leave it to them to represent females as weak, and useless. I ran my thumb along the flat side of the blade in my hand, eager to prove that we were not _all _weak.  
>The five males each had some semblance of a weapon, and I was pleased to see one using a branch to beat one of the defenseless females into the ground. Obviously, I had been wrong about the trees. Or possibly, they had started in a different environment than I did.<br>Along with the branch, there was also a plank of wood, with the nail still protruding from one end – which was handy. One man appeared to have stolen a door knob from one of the doors that were in _his _corridor, and utilized it by taking off his shirt and putting the metal object inside the shirt. He was swinging it at the others like a flail. On the subject of clothing, a teenage boy had also removed his shirt, and was now trying to use it to strangle people from behind. Finally, someone had obviously taken the initiative and gotten a burning torch, the same as the one that lit the room at the bottom of the stairs.

The fight was vicious. They combined their weapons with their fists, and it was difficult to imagine anyone being the clear winner. One of the girls showed that she didn't need help to damage someone, as she launched herself at the boy with the shirt from behind, and hooked her legs around his waist. He did his best to throw her off, but she clung on admirably. She brought one of her hands around to his face, and dug a finger into the corner of his eye. He turned around then, so I couldn't see what she was doing. He yelled out in pain, however, and when I saw his face again, he was missing an eye. Literally. I didn't mean that h didn't have the use of it, or that it had come out of the socket… It was just gone. And in its place was a hole, bleeding heavily. He finally managed to loosen the girl's grip, and promptly kicked her in the stomach. She flew back onto the ground, but flipped back up and went at him again.

I watched them attack each other, entranced. I was almost so focused that I didn't noticed the soft steps approaching behind me.  
><em>The ninth one.<em>  
>I spun quickly, brought up the razor and brandished it wildly. It was a boy about my age, tall and broad shouldered. He had straight, auburn hair that fell across his forehead, and amazingly dark green eyes. In the faint light he looked half-transparent and bleached of color, though his skin was not quite so pale as Emmett's. His hands had risen up in surrender the moment he saw the blade, and I could see his chest rising and falling, betraying how rapidly he was breathing.<p>

"Please. Don't hurt me," he panted. I waved my weapon around threateningly, and he took a step back.  
>"Why shouldn't I? You're only going to kill me when you get the chance". He looked at me in astonishment in response to my words, and shook his head adamantly.<br>"How would I do that?" I considered that, along with his lack of a weapon, and then decided that I didn't like people undermining my authority. I made a few jabbing motions with the razor, and his eyes went wide with fear.  
>"You may not have a weapon, but you could still be dangerous. I've just seen a girl take out an eyeball with her bare hands. What's to say you won't bite off my ear, or something?" The expression of mild disgust on his face was contributory towards his innocence. In any case, if there was an emergency, he would be a useful distraction. The pretty boy spoke again.<br>"That is… Disgusting. But I won't do that, you can trust me. I was already out there, I know they're all attacking each other, it happened to me too. It's like this sudden _rage _came over me, and I just _had _to hurt someone. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it. I came in here, and it stopped." His excuse seemed plausible, not counting the 'rage' portion. I would trust this boy.  
>"Alright, we can team up. Did you get a letter, too?" He lowered his hands at the same speed that I was retracting the blade from the air between us. When his hands were at his sides, and the razor was in my pocket he spoke again.<br>"Yeah, I did. It's fucking _weird_, isn't it? Like, are we meant to kill each other? Is it some kind of sick game to these people?"  
>His casual mention of whoever was running this gave me the idea that he could know something.<br>"Do you _know_ who 'these people' are?" I said, emphasizing the words by tapping my hand against the blade in my jeans. He looked off to the side, avoiding my eyes. I discreetly got my weapon back out, just in case.

"Uh… Yeah, I do. They're… Different. Different to us, I mean". By that, I could only assume that he was aware of what Emmett was. Maybe, whoever was behind this, was a vampire too. That would probably explain their demand for violence. It did not, however, explain the boy's theory about what went on in the arena.  
>Uncontrollable rage? Bullshit, he was just in it to win, as were all the other psychopaths. My plan was still in place, for the moment – only now it was better. With this boy, I could survive. He would trust me; maybe even defend me if the others came after us. With a little bit of convincing, I would be set. When everyone else was dealt with, he would be my only adversary, and an easy one at that. He didn't even have a <em>weapon<em>. Also, he seemed to have information on the vampires, which could help me figure out what was going on.  
>I smiled at him, and he tentatively returned the expression.<br>_Gotcha.  
><em>"By different, what do you mean?" He looked from left to right – which was a rather stupid gesture, considering we were in a narrow corridor. Honestly, what did he expect, someone to come out of a wall?  
>"Well… Do you believe in monsters?" He asked the question eagerly, eyes alight with excitement. I rolled my eyes internally, and then fed his enthusiasm with an awed gaze.<br>"What kind of monsters?" He bent his head closer, as if imparting some sort of great secret onto me.  
>"Vampires," he whispered softly, "they're the ones running the show". I laughed in response, perhaps a bit hysterically. He seemed hurt, so I tried to tone it down a little.<p>

How did _he _find out about them? Had Emmett gone to visit him, also? I tried to see if there were any shapes in his pockets that looked like weapons. He caught me out, and questioned my actions.  
>"What are you doing?" Guiltily, I stepped back from him. He didn't seem to have anything on him.<br>"Uh… Nothing. So, how do you know they're vampires? Not that they're real, because that's just absurd, right?" I was laughing maniacally again, and interrupted him as he took a breath to speak.  
>"Surely, you just mean metaphorical vampires. You know, they want to drink your blood, but not…"<br>I quickly trailed off at the look he was giving me. He spoke again, exasperated.  
>"Yes, proper vampires. Because, when they took me, I was awake. I guess the guy didn't use enough chloroform, or whatever. Anyway, I was in the back of this van, with this absolutely <em>huge <em>guy, and a tall, menacing looking one. My mom was with me, and they _bought _me off of her. Which I know my mom would _never _do."  
>If his mother was taking his ego into account, I had no doubts that she would have sold him. I nodded, indicating that he should continue.<br>"So, the scary looking one goes over to her, and tells her to leave. I expected her to punch him, or yell, anything, but she didn't. She looked at him, took the money, smiled, and just _left._ She left me there, with two psychopaths". He looked rather upset, so I gave him a pat on the shoulder. After taking a moment to come to terms with the very thought of his mother leaving him –big shock, there – he kept talking.

"I fell asleep after that, but I woke up to this god awful screaming. I was on the ground, on some old country road. And there was this girl there, rolling around in the dirt, shrieking her lungs out. The big guy was dragging this body off into the trees, and he took it right past me. It was this boy whose neck had been absolutely _torn_ _apart_. A full-on, gaping wound. And the guy that was dragging him had blood _all_ over his mouth. Anyway, I couldn't see the girl, but I guess it's one of the ones out there."  
>I averted my eyes to the ground, and focused on a small blood stain in the cement. I was at least ninety percent sure that the screaming girl had been me, and was desperate for the boy to continue. I didn't remember anything beyond James' death, and this could be my only chance to find anything out.<br>"So, the scary looking one goes over to her, and puts a hand on her shoulder. She stops screaming, like, immediately, and then he starts talking to her in this _creepy_ voice, real soothing, you know?"  
>I nodded at his words, and he resumed his story.<p>

"So he tells her that everything's okay, and it doesn't matter. He kept repeating that. _It doesn't matter_. It was crazy, seriously. She was silent for a couple minutes, and then she just started _laughing. _It was like, everything he wanted her to feel – she would. I didn't like it, at all".  
>Well, that made no sense, whatsoever. Unless… But <em>that<em> didn't add up, either. When Emmett had been on the phone to the mysterious Jasper, he had raised his concerns about him 'going too far'. He'd also said that 'it was emotionless'… Was he talking about me, when he said that?  
>"Did… Did he call her by name, do you know?" The boy looked at me, confusion in his eyes. He was probably wondering why I would ask such a question. He answered me, anyway.<br>"Yeah… The last thing he said to her was in this intense voice, like he was willing her to believe him. What was it? Uh…" He paused, concentrating so hard that a furrow formed between his eyebrows.  
>"Yeah, those words again. 'It doesn't <em>matter<em>'. He called her Isabella, I think." He thought for a moment, and then nodded to himself with a smile.  
>"Yeah, that's it".<p>

I gazed off to the side, considering the information that he had just given me. It _was _me, after all. That this… Jasper person had messed with. Did he alter my memories, or was the boy correct in his theory that I felt what he wanted me to feel? Was _he _responsible for my current total lack of emotion, or had I done that all on my own? I felt a touch on my shoulder, and dragged my eyes to it. I regarded the offending hand, and then looked to the boy and raised an eyebrow. He smiled, and I tilted my head.  
>"Why are you touching me?" His smile quickly dropped, and he removed his hand.<br>"Sorry, I guess you looked sad. And we have to stick together, right? There are all those people out there, and we're stuck in here. If we go out there, we'll die".  
>Truth be told, I had completely forgotten about the riot taking place just meters from where we stood. Reminded, I turned back to the door and opened it up the tiniest amount, just enough to see back into the arena.<p>

It was a massacre. Bodies were strewn carelessly over the ground, each in a gruesome state. All five of the males were dead, their weapons having been proved useless against the sheer barbaric attacks of the defenseless women, who still ripped at each other on the far side of the room.  
>One man had been burnt beyond recognition, obviously by the fellow who had wielded the flaming torch. His hair was nearly all gone, only singed tufts remaining on his blistered head. The skin on the left side of his face had melted into an almost molten-like appearance and his eyelids were melded closed, as were his lips. The seared flesh was tightly stretched and discolored, bright crimson in some places and a faded brown in others. His death would not have been a quick one.<br>The other four were in a better state than him, if you disregarded the fact that they were… You know, dead.

If my assumption was correct, two had been victims of the guy with the nail-plank. They each had deep lacerations in their skin, stretching over their arms and faces. The marks were raw and bleeding, and looked very painful. The skin that the nail had been dragged through was ripped, and messy. One had been the boy, whose eye had been squished, leaving the socket a bloody, goopy puddle.

The remaining two had apparently each finished the other off, as they bore marks from the other's weapon. The branch and the makeshift flail, possibly the most useless out of all the weapons acquired. They had simply been beaten to death, with nothing but smashed teeth and split lips to show for it. They had died quickly enough that they didn't have the time to bruise, so their skin was relatively unharmed.

From behind me came the unmistakable sound of retching. The boy had a weak stomach. The stench of bile reached me, and I wrinkled my nose.  
>The three girls were screeching like banshees, swiping their hands like claws, and digging their fingernails into flesh. One girl was tugging on another's hair like her life depended on it, and was finally rewarded when the scalp it was attached to tore off, leaving her with a long lock of blond hair. She threw it to the side, and ran over to where the burnt man lay in a pile of melted skin and bone. The other two paid her no attention, and she took that opportunity to roll the corpse over onto his stomach. Sticking out of his back was the plank with the nail. It had been dug into his spine.<p>

_I wondered where that had got to.  
><em>  
>The girl removed it with a squelch, and whirled back to join the fight. Now that she had the weapon, she was unstoppable. The nail tore at the girls' skin, and they wailed in response. Still, that didn't stop them from clawing at her with their hands, which soon proved to be useless against the power of her almighty plank. She slashed at them ruthlessly with her weapon, not slowing her blows until they were upon the ground. They lay there, curled in on themselves as the girl repeatedly raised her plank, and brought it down on them with a force I didn't believe her capable of.<br>The nail kept sinking into their skin, and they were bleeding profusely. Soon, they were dead. Nothing but mutilated bodies that the girl continued to bludgeon. She at last stopped, and looked down at what she had done. A laugh echoed around the room, high-pitched and girlish. Well, at least she could find the humor in the situation. I chuckled along with her, always having been a firm believer that nobody should laugh alone. Evidently, I needed to get some new beliefs, because this only managed to draw her attention to me. She turned slowly, and showed her teeth. I smiled, and held up my hands in front of me.  
>"Now, let's play nice".<br>She ignored me, and started toward the doorway I was standing in. To buy us some time, I took a step back and slammed the door. The boy was still hunched over at the waist, one hand on the wall supporting him as he stared intently at the pile of sick. He looked even paler, if that were possible. Oh, he was going to be useless in a fight.

"Hey, uh, you? We kind of have to go now… There's a crazy girl with a weapon out there, and I don't know if she thought I was laughing at _her_ or something, but she's angry. And she has a plank with a nail sticking out of it".  
>He looked at me blankly. I groaned, and snatched his hand in mine.<br>"That means we _run_, you idiot". I dragged him along behind me as I sprinted down the short hall. We reached the end, and I noticed with dismay that the door was still blocked by stone. I tried the closest room, and it was still locked.  
>"Hey, do you think you could, I don't know. Use your shoulder as a battering ram and get us into this room?" The boy looked positively terrified at the suggestion, but he took a deep breath and stood up tall. He was preparing himself to do it, when his eyes caught on something behind me.<br>Fear bloomed in his eyes, and he pointed behind me with a shaking finger. I turned, and was greeted by a rabid brunette running down the hall to where we stood, holding her plank high.

"We need to get out into the open space; we can avoid her easily there". He seemed to be paralyzed with terror, so I took it upon myself to save him once again. When she ran at us, I stepped to the side, taking the boy with me. This didn't slow her down; she simply spun around at the end and resumed her attack. I charged down the hall, holding the boy by the wrist and expecting his feet to know what to do. Luckily, he seemed to get the idea and we were soon flying down the corridor, leaving the ragged breathing of the girl behind us.  
>We burst into the circular room and kept going to the other side, I released his arm halfway across and he stumbled once before picking up his feet and running beside me. When we reached the stone wall, we turned to face the girl. She was just coming through the door, and seemed to have slowed down some. But when her feet touched the soil, she returned to a sprint with more energy than before. I snuck a glance at the boy, expecting him to look sufficiently horrified. What I was <em>not <em>expecting was to see him snarling, and preparing to launch himself at the girl.

Deciding that it would probably be best to sit this one out, I edged my way out of her line of fire. They met in a slap of skin, and the nail missed tearing the boy's ear off by less than an inch. She threw the plank to the ground, and struck out at him with her nails. They scored along his right cheek, leaving miniscule scratch marks.  
>I had thought that he would be wary of hitting a girl, but he proved me wrong by delivering a hard punch to her stomach, which had her doubled over and clutching her middle. He was ruthless, giving her no time to recover before slamming his boot into her face. I heard bones crunch, and she came back up with a bloodied lip, and an equally damaged nose.<br>The girl swung out her arm, but he brushed it away easily and unleashed a volley of blows into her upper body. It wasn't long until she had been forced to the ground, and was it not for her weak attempts at deflecting his fists, I would have thought she was dead. The boy didn't stop, though. He kept driving attacks into her until she was just a mess of split skin and broken bones.  
>Having managed to kill her, he stepped away from the body of the girl and looked at me. Slick blood coated his hands, and was splashed on his face. It had gotten into his hair, and matted the strands together. The scarlet hue of the blood contrasted almost beautifully with his pale skin, and made me think of candy canes.<p>

I smiled at him, intending to congratulate him on his victory. Before I could draw up the corners of my lips, he threw himself toward me. I barely managed to get out of his way, but that didn't stop him. No, he rushed at me again, and this time I couldn't avoid him. His fist glanced off the side of my head, and I hissed in pain. The second he came into contact with my skin, the murderous look vanished from his eyes. He looked down at his hands, and then up at me. I squinted at him, trying to figure out if he would attack me again.  
>"I'm so, so sorry. Really. I don't know what came over me, I was just so angry, and I'm so sor-" I cut him off with words of my own.<br>"Don't worry, you kind of saved my life, I guess. We're even". He nodded, and gestured towards the corpse of the girl.  
>"Shit, I can't believe I managed to do that". I followed his lead, and surveyed his handiwork.<br>"Hmm. Neither can I, just ten minutes ago, you lost it at the sight of the other guys". At that, he inspected the other bodies in the room. He broke out in a sweat and turned a strange shade of green.  
>"That's revolting. But, at least we're alive, right? I'm Daniel, by the way, we never got to formally…"<br>Daniel looked down to where my razor was protruding from his chest, a cloud of blood quickly spreading out from the entry point and soaking the white cotton shirt he was wearing. It had been easier than I expected, to get the blade through the muscle and into where it really mattered – the general location of the heart. He gazed at me, horrified. I stared at the wound, awed.

"I think that straight razors are meant for cutting, and such. Not stabbing, but… It did the trick, didn't it?" He didn't answer me, instead falling to his knees and pulling the weapon from his chest. He dropped it into the dirt. When he spoke, it was with a weak voice.  
>"You… You <em>stabbed<em> me". I smiled at his words, and bobbed my head.  
>"Yes, yes I did. First time doing that, too. I think I did quite well". This time, he didn't reply. He was still on his knees, trying to stop the flow of blood – rather unsuccessfully, I might add. I retrieved my razor from the dirt, and wiped it off on my jeans.<br>"Well, I guess I should be going, now. Don't worry, I'll just be over there," I pointed to my intended destination, "having a nap. I believe I've earned it, don't you?"  
>He ignored my question. I picked my way through the corpses, until I reached the patch of dirt that wasn't soaked through with blood. There, I lay down and drew my knees up against my chest. A muffled choking sounded from where I had left Daniel, but it died down quickly.<br>I dreamt of candy canes and barber shops. It was the best nap of my life.

**If I haven't frightened anyone away... Review. That'd be fun, right?**


	4. Jasper

I awoke to an empty room, cleared of all bodies except for my own. There was no sound whatsoever, save for my quiet breathing. Evidently, I had been successful in acquiring champion status in the violent bloodbath, and I had apparently been left alone to recuperate, before progressing to the next task. Recalling the serial-killer style letter I had encountered at the beginning of the event, I assumed that they would be taking the whole, 'last man standing after twenty four hours' stipulation quite seriously. With no way of knowing how long I had been sleeping, I had an equally miserable chance at guessing the time of day, and subsequently, when I would be undertaking the next test.

My emotions were still as strangely blank as before, except, with a few exceptions. I recalled the curious nature in which I slid my blade into Daniel's stomach, and the odd pleasure I had gotten out of watching the wound swiftly begin to bleed. In conclusion, I wasn't an emotionally stunted psychopath, just a mildly inquisitive girl, with a tendency to stab people. Oh, if the kids at school could see me now.

I rolled onto my stomach, digging my toes into the soft dirt. Of their own accord, my hands traced delicate swirling patterns in the soil, reminiscent of forests and twisting vines – Forks. I supposed that I should be upset, now that I had no chance of seeing Charlie again. I'd had plans of going to live with him – of escaping the heat of Phoenix and the medicinally altered sunny disposition of Renee, which had been completely unbearable at times. However, not as much as when all of her connections dried up. Those days spent in the house, shades drawn and voices kept to a bare minimum volume were enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity. Not me, though. I stuck it out, because if I didn't take care of her, who would? Certainly not Phil, who had introduced her to the habit when they met. Like all new ideas, she latched onto it with a ferocity rivaling that of a terrier.  
>Of course, unlike previous new hobbies, this one wasn't simply forgotten in the light of newer, more interesting things. As it happened, instead of forgetting the habit, she forgot me.<p>

Now, I was a self-sufficient teenager, and was perfectly content to relocate myself to the dreary town of Forks to live with my father, and to start anew, sans Renee. Unfortunately, she did not agree.  
>It wasn't hard to hazard a guess as to why I had awoken in that dank, oil stained van, with only my nightmares for company. On particularly bad days, Renee had threatened to auction me off to the highest bidder. I never believed her, choosing instead to look past her bitter smirks and focus on the good – the days when I came downstairs to smiles and pancakes, when everything was as it used to be. When I didn't have to ignore the assortment of pills and baggies on every available surface, or Phil's continued presence in a house where he was clearly doing more harm than good.<br>I scooped a handful of the dirt, and let it sift through my fingers to join the rest. Draining away, just like my mother.

For the first time since my conversation with Daniel, I wondered what these people actually wanted from me. It wasn't for a reason as simple and sinister as I had originally assumed – that Renee had actually managed to locate some form of a virginity auction… No, it wasn't that easy. I had a strong feeling that I had all the pieces, and that all there was left to do was join them up.  
>Emmett had told me that a war was coming, a big one. They didn't have enough soldiers. That, combined with my presence, would mean that they were buying people, teenagers, to use as soldiers. People that probably wouldn't be missed. But they didn't want just <em>anyone<em>; they wanted those who could handle it – who would be an asset. In the process, they would be sacrificing hundreds. Twelve people, and only one would live through the first round? That _had _to be taking a toll on the population of teenagers in the general Phoenix area. I had no idea what the next test would be, or if it would just be another free-for-all. Pitting defenseless kids against each other in the hope that one would come out on top, and help you out? It was useless. Chances were, at the end of the week, some kid would be too traumatized and downright angry to be of any use to Emmett and his superiors. Unless…  
>Emmett was a vampire. Daniel had said that there were others like him…<br>I dropped the dirt that I had been cradling in the palm of my hand.  
>They're going to make whoever passes all the tests into a vampire.<br>One of the undead, a strong and fast little soldier, free to do as they bid. I had seen a vast array of vampire-themed television shows, and movies. People _changed_ when they became one of them. They became cold, calculating, and were bound to do as their creator told them. Now, despite the fact that these shows were fiction, they had to hold at least a semblance of truth, from old myths, and the like.  
>Another option was, obviously, the mysterious Jasper. If he had – according to Emmett and Daniel – somehow messed with my emotions, who was to say that he couldn't do it to whoever came out on top of one of these competitions? That he couldn't just alter their perception, inspiring feelings of obedience and love for him? In fact, that was probably rather close to what they had in mind.<p>

I turned onto my side, and stared across the room at one bloodstained wall. At the rate I was going, and with the extra help from Emmett, that person could be me. One quick touch up from this Jasper, and I would be a mindless slave. My mind was already partway there, in any case. But if it wasn't me… I would be dead. Sometime in the next week, I could die.  
>I waited for the onslaught of emotion, the struggle with my completely possible demise. As per usual, I felt nothing. It was infuriating, being able to feel certain things, but not others.<br>A slamming door interrupted my extensive inner monologue, and I quickly scrambled in the dirt in an attempt to make it to an upright position. My fingers strayed to the pocket of my jeans, feeling the comforting shape of the razor, and underneath it, the vial of blood.  
>I watched the door of the arena like a hawk, waiting for someone to enter. I didn't have to wait long. It was thrown open abruptly, and a towering man stalked into the room. He was pale, like Emmett, but lean and wiry in place of the other vampire's bulging muscles. He stood at about 6'3", with terribly pretty golden honey blond hair, that curled around the base of his neck, and made a slight contrast with his vibrant, crimson irises. Mark of a vampire, I supposed. The man was beautiful – almost impossibly so. He turned to face me, and quickly began striding purposefully in my direction. I remembered Emmett's instruction in the case of a vampire attack, and fumbled for the vial and my razor. He was halfway across the room, and steadily decreasing the distance between us, as I uncorked the flask and dipped the tip of the blade into it. Just as he reached me, I brought it up and made sure he saw it. He stopped, nostrils flaring, glowing eyes burning a hole in the razor that was gripped so desperately in my hand that my knuckles were turning white.<p>

"Where did you get that?" His voice was liquid fire, coursing through my veins and igniting odd sensations in the pit of my stomach. The vampire's eyes flicked between my face, and the blade, seemingly considering his chance of knocking it out of my hand before I stuck him with it. I waved the razor around, surely looking almost delirious, in an attempt to deter him from taking it from me.

"Found it." I mumbled, the words close to being swallowed by the vast expanse of a room. It would seem that my loss of emotion did nothing to quell my body's natural shyness. He raised a single eyebrow in response to my claim, overtly stating his incredulity.  
>"Of course you did, Isabella".<br>Upon his utterance of my name, I became aware of just how _lovely _his voice was. Smooth, like honey, bearing the weak taint of the South. I could listen to him for hours on end. Unfortunately, the way things were going, there was little chance of me surviving the next five minutes, let alone the hour.  
>He was looking at me intently now, almost straining. If he had been human, his forehead would have broken out in a sweat. As it was… He was concentrating far more than ordinary for his kind. Almost as if… Almost as if he was willing me to <em>do <em>something… To respond to him, somehow. Then, much like a freight train, it hit me.

"You're Jasper," I gasped loudly, all trace of previous apprehension obliterated. The razor dropped to the ground, the vial along with it. Seeing the opportunity, Jasper lunged forward and kicked them away from me.

"Yes, I am. You're Isabella. The girl that cheated her way through my program".  
>The accusation hung heavy in the silence that followed his statement, as the vampire glared at me. So it <em>was <em>Jasper's system, after all. This convoluted method of building soldiers belonged to him.

"Kill me, then. If your precious _program _means so much to you, preserve the sanctity, and _kill _me," I hissed, in an attempt to provoke him into doing just that. He cocked his head, appraising me with his piercing stare.

"No, death isn't for you. You'll make a lovely little soldier, should you progress to completion".  
>Jasper stepped closer, and sunk down to where I sat, still, in the soil. He smiled, barely giving me a flash of his gleaming, deadly teeth. He raised his hand, slowly, as if he was wary of startling me. I watched apprehensively as the large, pale monstrosity travelled ever closer to me, until it rested upon my cheek. I could feel my skin warming beneath his icy touch, burning up against him. My body rebelled against me, pleading for the chance to experience his silken fingers in far less chaste ways. With this, was the now common lack of mental participation. It was solely my body that was fighting this battle. A single corner of Jasper's mouth pulled up, resulting in a smirk that set the butterflies in my stomach on fire. Unbidden, a guttural moan escaped from my lips.<br>All of this, from the mere touch of a hand.

"She feels," he whispered. He brushed his thumb across my skin, starting another blaze. I croaked, and jerked my face out of his reach. Jasper's eyes hardened and the smirk took on a sinister edge.

"Yes, a lovely little soldier. The men would love you". I stared at the vampire, willing him with my thoughts to leave the room. I was, surprisingly, successful. He rose to his full height – quite formidable from my position on the ground – and took a familiar red envelope from the back pocket of his dark jeans.

"You will live, and you will come out a soldier, Isabella. I put far too much effort into you to let you die. Just ensure nobody, save Emmett and myself, see your pretty razor. They might use it to slit your throat".  
>With those words, he tossed the packet into the dirt and strode from the room. His steps were muffled by the soil, but the slamming door echoed loudly around the arena for a short while. I stretched out a reluctant hand and snagged the envelope, quickly tearing it open. Another letter fell out, identical to the first in all but content. I gripped it tightly with my dirt stained fingers, leaving smudges on the exquisite stationary. Reading aloud to the small room, with ghosts as my audience, I sealed my fate for the next twenty four hours.<p>

_Recruit,  
>Congratulations on making it through Phase One. You have now proceeded to Phase Two... Live for the next day, and you will proceed to Phase Three.<br>Three other subjects will also be participating in this test, and it is them that you are required to compete against. You have thirty seconds until the commencement of Phase Two.  
>Your aim is to survive, recruit. Phase Two differs greatly from Phase One, in that it is no longer an unruly fight to the death. However, there is still risk of death. Keep yourself, and your charges, alive for either twenty four hours, or until all other participants have been decimated.<br>This is a strategic matter, recruit. Sheer luck will not see you through to the next Phase. We sincerely hope that you are the one who will progress.  
>Good luck.<em>

Thirty seconds? My brain kicked into gear, and I scrambled through the dirt in a rushed attempt to rescue my weapons. I scooped them up, and hastily stuffed them into my pocket, before standing up tall on the loosely packed soil. I watched the ground, waiting for yet another staircase to appear, or… My eyes flew to the arena doors. Perhaps that was the way out. I barely took one step before the earth grumbled beneath my feet, almost throwing me to the ground. It would be the stairs, apparently. I wisely took three steps back, anticipating another surprise opening.  
>However, that would prove to be unnecessary. The ground shook once more, and I fell to my knees, upon the dirt that now seemed looser than ever. A sickening crack sounded throughout the room, and my throat worked out an involuntary shriek as I was swallowed by the earth.<p> 


	5. Blaze

I was going to die.  
>Seconds after being sucked into the ground, I found myself six feet under. Not figuratively, in this case, but literally being near crushed to death by the earth. My fingers scrabbled uselessly against the dirt, only serving to bury myself further. The damp soil invaded all of my senses, muffling my hearing and filling my mouth, to the point where I was inhaling it. I couldn't breathe, and my body was being pressured from every direction, by an unimaginable weight.<br>This was it.  
>I was going to die.<br>It didn't take long for a sick, dizzy feeling to sweep through my skull. I was lightheaded, and had stopped struggling two minutes previously. My eyes were already shut in an attempt to protect them from the dirt, so it became a matter of simply letting go, and embracing the darkness.

_Poke._  
>"Is she alive?"<br>_Poke, poke.  
><em>"Stop touching her, Jeb".  
><em>Poke<em>.  
>"Last warning, kid. Just our luck, we finally got stuck with a dud. D'you think we can leave her here?"<br>"No, they'll kill us. It has to be _her_".  
><em>Sigh.<em>  
>"I know. This might be the day".<br>_Sob._  
>"It <em>can't <em>be, Edward. We've done so well, it's been _weeks_".  
><em>Sigh.<em>  
>"Our luck might have run out, sweetie. Had to happen sooner or later, right?"<br>_Whimper._  
>"I don't want to die".<br>_Poke._  
>"I know, babe. I know. Jeb, I said stop <em>touching <em>it".  
>"Sorry, dad".<br>_Sniff._  
>"No".<br>_Rustle.  
><em>"Babe?"  
><em>Shove.<br>_"Babe, what are you doing?"  
><em>Kick.<br>_"I said _no_. We've come too far! One more week, Edward. _One week_, and we would be finished. I'll be _fucked _if I'm going to let this stupid fucking _whore _ruin my chance at freedom!"  
><em>Push.<em>  
>"Babe, sto-"<p>

I awoke with a start, letting out some unexplainable death-shriek. The group of people surrounding me jerked back from where I lay on the ground, chest heaving. My stomach churned, feeling oddly swollen and tender. I rolled to the side in an attempt to find relief from the pain, and a viscous liquid crept up to the back of my throat. Despite me trying to force the bile back down, I vomited onto what I now knew was cold, wet grass. It was mostly bile, interspersed with various clumps of my last meal. An exaggerated gagging sounded behind me, as I observed the unnatural green tint to my vomit, and the obvious presence of dirt.  
>Did I <em>eat <em>my way out of the ground?  
>I turned my attention now to my hands, caked with soil to the point that I couldn't find the skin underneath, along with cracked nails and bleeding fingers. The remainder of my body was relatively unharmed, my stomach healed completely after the vile expulsion of its contents, only a faint rib pain to remind me of the time spent being crushed beneath the ground. Again, I was covered head to toe in a thick layer of earth, my body nearly completely hidden.<br>"… Ahem," a male voice interrupted my inspection, shocking me into rolling back over to face the three people who before, had seemed like a crowd.  
>No, that wasn't right. One man… And two tiny people.<br>I rubbed my eyes, wincing as the action ground the dirt into my retinas. Upon my next glance, the little people morphed into a child, and an overtly short woman. I balked, no doubt visibly. I was never a child-friendly kind of person, when once being forced to mind Phil's niece, I had essentially ignored her, along with occasional attempts at conversation. Making an effort, I smiled at the boy. He was probably the Jeb, who had been scolded earlier. Turning my smile now to the two adults accompanying him, I was mildly hurt when the man pushed Jeb behind him, and gripped his partner's hand.  
>He was tall, almost unbelievably so, towering over everything. His limbs were long and lean, relaxed, despite his defensive actions. The man's skin was pale, contrasted by the shock of hair atop his head. It was an odd bronze tone that had to have been store-purchased. The locks were messy, standing upright on his skull, having the appearance of being constantly tugged on. In contradiction to his earlier apprehension, a bright smile graced his face. His eyes were a vivid green.<br>The girl beside him was of a short stature, tiny really, but was undeniably beautiful. Her skin was pale, almost luminescent in the moonlight, broken only by a fair smattering of freckles across her nose that could hardly be described as blemishes. Her hair was a deep, inky black that was surely artificial. However, the expression on her face made the girl ugly. Her slight limbs were tense, joined by clenched fists, or in the case of her left hand, a threat to cut off the man's circulation. Her full lips were curled up in a snarl, seemingly directed at me.  
>I could no longer see the child, but my brief glimpse saw him with pale, translucent skin and his mother's hair, if that was what the girl was, proving the color to be natural.<br>All three of them shared an odd, almost sickly skin tone. As if they hadn't seen the sunlight in weeks…

I took the time to finally look at my surroundings, which only served to confuse me further. It was nighttime, but no stars were visible in the darkness. What I had earlier assumed to be the moonlight was actually the light cast from various lampposts scattered around the… Park?  
>I sat up, ignoring the complaints from my ribs. I was seated on damp, freezing grass, which had succeeded in soaking through my jeans and my underwear, leaving me with an ass that was at risk of obtaining frostbite. Two meters away was a cobblestone path, weaving among small trees and street lamps, leading to either a large stone fountain in the center of the area, or to a choice of four well-lit roads. I was in a town. A small town, by the looks of it. With a curious lack of stars, and the odd scent of… Dirt. I gagged, but there was nothing left in my stomach for my body to expel.<p>

"Hey, uh… Hi? Lady?" The man asked warily, taking a step toward me. I looked up at him, having to crane my neck to see his face.

"Are we _underground_?" I blurted. He didn't seem shocked at my question, so I immediately accepted my assumption as true.

"Yeah," he laughed awkwardly, scratching his arm with his free hand, "Noticed that, did you? Most don't really catch on for half an hour, or so".  
>I smiled at him in return, which caused the small girl to audibly growl. I turned to her, with intention of asking her just what the <em>hell <em>her problem was, but her vicious expression stopped me in my tracks. She dropped the man's hand, and strode forward to stand before me.

"You know what would be _helpful_, you vapid bitch? If you got the _fuck _up, and _did _something. In case you hadn't noticed, you're supposed to keep us alive". The obscenities were almost amusing, coming from one of such tiny stature and feminine appearance. Initially, I could only respond with a stupid, blank stare, not quite grasping the concept of what she was trying to say. Was she insulting me, or was she actually trying to convey something?  
>She turned back to the man and dug her fingertips into her hair.<p>

"Do you _see _what we have to _deal _with, Edward? The girl is a fucking imbecile".  
>Something about her insult struck me, and I was on my feet in seconds, razor pressed against her throat.<p>

"In case _you _hadn't noticed, I'm in a little bit of shock right now. Maybe, you could give me the common fucking _courtesy _of allowing me to adapt, before taking it out on me. I'll do the best with what I have, considering that nobody has even told me what the _fuck _is going on right now!"  
>My words rang out, sharp, in the darkness. The girl smiled at me, reveling in my anger.<br>Wait… Anger? Yes. It was there, faint, but present nonetheless. I _felt _it.  
>I dropped my hand from the girl's pale neck, and returned her smile with one of my own. She laughed, a beautiful sound, and I joined her. The man, Edward, observed this occurrence with an air of confusion, while trying to keep Jeb behind him, who was insistent on making himself known. The girl stuck out a tiny hand, reigning in her giggles.<p>

"I'm Alice. It's lovely to meet you, I was hoping there was a warrior in there somewhere. You're our best bet so far, with that razor. I didn't know they had started rigging the Phases".

"I'm Isabella… Rigging? What do you mean?"  
>Alice laughed once more, gesturing to the blade that had been returned to my pocket. Her slender fingers curled around an imaginary copy of it, and slashed the air.<p>

"You think everyone gets a pretty little razor, Bella? No, you're special. Someone wants you to come out a winner".  
>I processed this information, reflecting on events so far. Emmett's gifts of food, and weapons. I had originally assumed that all other participants would receive this, but Jasper's accusations had disproved that theory… And then, as was happening far too frequently, I was hit with a realization.<br>My convenient lack of emotion. This had made me immune to what Daniel had alleged to be some sort of mind-altering… thing, in the arena. All of the other recruits had experienced some sort of crippling rage, that turned them into vicious, homicidal beasts… Not me. No, not Isabella, who had the luck to be rendered emotionally stunted. Maybe… Maybe that was an advantage in these tasks. I was stronger than the others, I was a good bet…  
>Jeb peeked out from around Edward, looking up at me with large, dark eyes.<br>I could be trusted to keep these people alive.  
>On that thought, I threw my shoulders back and tried to stand at a more formidable height.<p>

"Okay, to start, someone needs to explain to me the dynamics of the current… Situation. Because, honestly, I'm confused".  
>Edwards smiled, as if he was aware of my private resolve. I returned it, hoping for him to trust me, to work with me on this. He finally allowed Jeb to come out from behind him, and the family came closer. Edward spoke, his arm wrapping around the girl's waist as he did so.<p>

"So, basically, this is a simulation, of sorts. You've been put into an unknown situation, with a group of people to protect… You have to get them out alive. Only, it's not pretend. It's real people, real blood, real danger".  
>He gripped the miniscule girl tighter, causing the muscles in his forearm to tighten.<p>

"We're lucky… We've been here for three weeks. They promised us that we could leave after a month, if we survived. For you, there's a week of tests, but they overlap for different groups of recruits. A new group starts every day, and every single day we have to trust another person to get us out alive. There… There was one more, Alice's sister…"  
>The girl, who I now knew to be Alice, straightened her stance. Tears glistened in her eyes, obviously being held back. She sniffled once, before turning her large eyes to mine.<p>

"All that means is that you get a smaller group, which is an advantage. We don't have much time, the others have to come this way soon. We're in the center of town, and it's a tiny battleground, not much room to maneuver. The basis of the situation, is to live. Something will happen, it changes every day… But it's on a weekly routine. You're lucky you got us, rather than a newbie group. There'll be four people per group, with one recruit, which makes ten adversaries in total. Today is a Tuesday, so…"  
>Alice came to a stop, staring past me with glazed eyes. Edward took over, softly rubbing her hip.<p>

"Her sister… It was a Tuesday. In about fifteen minutes, fires will start up all over town. Certain areas are tripped to trap you inside, where you…" He looked to Alice, who had maintained her indifference. "Where you burn to death," he finished firmly.  
>Alice started, a surprised sound escaping her throat. She smiled at me once again, and I reciprocated tentatively.<p>

"We know where those areas are, we have a better chance than the others. You know, it's probably no coincidence that they put you with us. We're your best chance of winning". She tapped an unsightly bulge the left pocket of the oversized shirt she was wearing.  
>"We're not above alternate… Methods, if you will." Her sweet face turned ferocious, and I took an involuntary step back. Edward patted her arm, and she relaxed once more.<p>

"Ten minutes to go, guys. You ready?" Alice simply nodded, and ran a hand through Jeb's hair. The boy himself was calm, unnaturally so for being under threat of potential death. I supposed that he was used to it. What a terrible thing for a child to have to come to terms with, the realization that your entire existence relied on somebody you barely knew. I felt for the child, and for his parents. I would do my ultimate best to keep them alive, to give them that freedom they were merely days away from.

"So, what would the best plan of action be?" I asked Edward quietly, who simply delegated the question to Alice with a gesture of his hand. She stepped up to the plate, releasing Jeb and donning her fierce disposition once more.

"Not here. Too easy to burn, and soon it'll be lit up like a Christmas tree. The town hall is easiest to defend, there's an area around the back, some sort of parking garage that has been left un-tripped, for some reason".  
>It was a good plan, but admittedly, it could be better.<p>

"Why not set up base in the building itself, surely that would be easier?" Edward had started shaking his head furiously halfway through my question, and Alice had cocked a single eyebrow in response.

"Yeah, you think so? That's what the first girl said. We listened to _her_, we trusted her to see us out of this. You know what happened? Jade took one step into a house, and the door shut behind her. I listened as my sister slowly burned to death inside that house. I could do _nothing_. It opened when she died, you know. I got to see Jade, on the ground, burnt to a fucking _crisp_. So don't you _tell _me, that I don't know what I'm doing".  
>Silence followed her speech, and I waited for the inevitable shame to wash over me. Fortunately, that emotion was apparently gone from my arsenal, so I was forced to make do with false humility.<p>

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," I began, which elicited a snort from the girl. "We'll do it your way. I'll do my best to make sure you live". She accepted my fumbled apology with a brisk nod, and began rousing Edward and Jeb from their awkward avoidance of our conversation. Alice offered me a small smile, and reached for my hand. In her other palm, she grasped Jed's wrist. Edward completed the line, holding his son's tiny hand.

"It's time," Alice breathed, tugging us all toward the closest street. The artificial light cast by the lamps cast our surroundings in an eerie, washed out glow. This, accompanied by the translucent skin of the small family, and my own naturally pale appearance, gave us the appearance of a group of ghouls, traversing a deserted town. Just as my left foot touched down on the hard pavement, a deafening blow erupted from behind us.

I was thrown forward, losing Alice's hand upon my collision with the sidewalk. My nose hit the cement before the rest of my body, warping and twisting with a sickening crunch that I felt, rather than heard. That was an issue, the lack of hearing. I pulled myself up, noticing the small smear of thin blood left on the pavement by my nose. I touched a hand to my face, and recoiled at the pain.  
><em>It's okay, it's only broken, it's fine.<br>_Suddenly, Alice was beside me screaming at me. All I could hear was a muffled droning, but she was pulling at my shirt and pointing in the direction of an enormous building two streets down. The town hall. Edward was already running toward it, Jeb thrown over his shoulder, bouncing with each step his father took. The heat from the park behind me was unbelievable, burning my skin simply from the proximity. Alice pulled at my collar, and I joined her in the frantic run for cover.  
>I could feel the blood running from my broken nose, coating my lips and teeth. I fought the natural reaction to vomit, and instead focused on getting as far away from the roaring blaze as I could.<p>

Without warning, a shop window exploded to our right, glass shards sliced into my skin and another wave of unbearable heat almost threw me to the ground. My head was pounding, my nose throbbing, and I was at least eighty percent sure that my ears were bleeding. But we had made it.

Before us, was a large brick building, 'TOWN HALL' printed in capital letters above the doors. It really was a simulation, with simplified aspects, presumably to make it easier for the recruits. Alice continued right past the entrance, tugging on my hand to get me to move faster. A dilapidated alley ran alongside the building, and it was down this that she led me. Edward and Jeb were nowhere in sight, and I could only hope that they had made it here along with us.  
>The claustrophobic alley soon opened up into a large expanse of bitumen, interrupted only by an entrance ramp into an underground parking garage. We were only meters away, so close to safety, when another explosion rocked us back. This time, it came from the front… From the garage, where Edward and Jeb were waiting for us.<p>

**So, I remembered this little baby after all, which... Which is nice. Yeah.  
><strong>**Anyway, a lot of you are putting this on your alerts, which trust me, still makes me happy, but... Reviews, would be lovely. Beyond lovely. This is kind of a hit and miss situation, I have no idea whether I'm on the mark, or if I'm in a lake three kilometers away. Tell me.**

**So, to recap... Review, favorite, alert, all that... Thank you for reading.**


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